Yoshiki Konishi, Current Chief Engineer for Corolla

My First Encounter with the Corolla: The Family Car

I was appointed Chief Engineer of the Corolla in January 2016. While I am still new at this role, I have a fairly old memory about the vehicle. When I was in the third grade, we got a white Corolla as our family car. It was a third-generation model. I always sat in the back, behind the passenger seat. Even now, I can still remember the horizontal instrument panel when I looked from my seat at my dad behind the wheel. The Corolla was the car with which I shared lots of memories in my childhood, and my favorite of all the Corollas has to be the third generation.

Corolla: Tackling Challenges since the First Generation

This is actually my first time receiving the title of Chief Engineer. I felt immense pressure when I was first appointed. Firstly, I felt a need to study the Corolla's history. I listened to many different individuals, bought a load of books, and started studying. It turned out to be a series of surprises.

Take the first-generation Corolla, for example. The design had a hood with an enlarged center portion, which was to enhance the air flow. Since the 1960s, Corolla designs have been thoroughly innovative. Back when most vehicles had a column shifter, Toyota was quick to adopt a four-speed floor shifter for the Corolla. In the following year, we saw the inclusion of the two-speed automatic transmission (AT). Also, things like the red interior were really “loud”. I sensed the strong Corolla spirit of boldly taking on challenges, and I was amazed by how fast they developed new models. I think perhaps they made cars in about one-half or one-third the time that we do now.

As Chief Engineer, I have opportunities to travel all over the world, and I am able to perceive what great assets belong to the Corolla, which past Chief Engineers had built. The biggest of those assets would have to be reliability. The Corolla is also easy to operate, and it doesn't break down. In the countries which I have been to, that's the feedback I have been receiving. I must maintain this asset and figure out how we can add on to it. That's the role which I feel has been entrusted to me.

The first-generation Corolla was designed with a hood that has an enlarged center portion to allow for better air flow

The Twelfth-Generation Corolla: An Even Better Car

In Japan, people often say that the Corolla gets 80 points “plus alpha” on a 100-point scale. For that "plus alpha", I want to make the twelfth-generation Corolla - which is now under development - even more attractive by making it fun to ride and to look cool. It's a little lower and a little wider in its position, for a bit of a sportier feel. The first-generation Corolla was extolled for a sportiness that provided that “something extra”, so in a sense, you could perhaps say that we are going back to our origins with the twelfth generation.

When we check vehicles that are in development, I still sit behind the passenger seat, exactly where my parents put me when I was a child. I do that because I can best check the comfortability and silence of the car that way. It's very moving for me. While I feel happy about being involved in the Corolla's development, I also feel an even stronger sense of responsibility that I have to make a good, solid vehicle. I hope that I can help people all over the world create memories the way the Corolla created memories for me in my childhood. That's how I approach its development.

Toward 100 Years: The Evolving Corolla

I think it's truly amazing that we're marking 50 years of the Corolla. There aren't many cars that have been around for this long without interruption. I think that if we pay close attention to the trends and build Corollas that suit the times, then it will certainly reach 100. What we'll need to do is to seriously confront issues such as those pertaining to the environment and energy, as well as on safety, and be judicious in providing answers. On top of that, we will pursue new features that enhance its “fun to drive” quality and to heighten the “wow” factor for customers. We also must be quick to adopt new technologies and styles, without fearing change. I feel that if we stop changing, then the Corolla is done. I think the thing about the Corolla which we need to keep is the evolution that will keep our customers smiling.

As Chief Engineer, I'm taking and answering questions every day, and the development team is absolutely united in the making of the next the twelfth generation Corolla - a good car. You can expect great things from us.

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